Saint Bartholomew Patronal Festival

A celebration that returns every August 24th

The Saint Bartholomew Patronal Festival is the most cherished event in Civitella in Val di Chiana, in the province of Arezzo, in the heart of Tuscany. Saint Bartholomew the Apostle is the patron saint of the municipality, and his feast day falls every year on August 24th, a fixed date in the liturgical calendar. It is an appointment that unites the religious dimension with the community spirit in one of the most historically rich territories of the Valdichiana area near Arezzo.

The village and its saint

Civitella in Val di Chiana is a "scattered" municipality: the administrative center is Badia al Pino, home to the church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, while the ancient medieval village of Civitella, dominated by its Lombard Fortress, remains the identity symbol of the territory. Surrounding it are numerous hamlets — from Ciggiano to Oliveto, from Tuori to Pieve a Maiano — which together make up the community that gathers every year to honor its patron saint.

Devotion and memory

The Saint Bartholomew festival takes place in a location deeply marked by history. Civitella preserves the memory of the tragic massacre of June 29, 1944, when the village suffered one of the harshest Nazi reprisals in Tuscany: for this reason, the municipality was awarded the Gold Medal for Civil Valor, and the "Rooms of Memory" and the "Path of Memory" keep that recollection alive in the name of peace. The patronal festival, with its intimate and spiritual dimension, thus takes on a special value for the community.

What to expect

The day of August 24th revolves around liturgical celebrations in the church of Saint Bartholomew and the social moments that enliven the village. In recent years, the recurrence has intertwined with the municipal summer festival "Notti e Note d'Estate" (Summer Nights and Notes), which brings concerts, open-air cinema, theater, and cultural events to the squares and most evocative places of the municipality from June to September. In the 2025 edition, for example, a voice and organ concert was held on August 24th at the church of Saint Bartholomew in Badia al Pino.

An authentic Valdichiana experience

Experiencing the Saint Bartholomew festival means discovering an authentic corner of Tuscany far from the major tourist flows: the views over the hills of the Valdichiana and Val d'Ambra, the Pieve with its Della Robbia tabernacle, the arcaded squares of the village, and the hospitality of a community that carefully guards its traditions. It is an opportunity to combine cultural visits, spirituality, and a local village festival.